Why do we hunt? For many, it’s simply for memories
One of the common questions I get from non-hunters and anglers is why? Why do I spend hours, even days at a time, on the water or in the woods? Why do I spend so much money on gear, license, and travel? What is it about hunting and fishing that makes it worth it?
People say they hunt or fish for plenty of reasons, but are they the real reason?
Some claim they do it for meat, but when you think about it, it is more of a product, not the actual reason. Very few sportsmen truly need the meat to feed themselves or their families. Even if they are, the cost of equipment, licenses, and time invested hardly make it worth it. If they pay someone to process their harvest, the price per pound is far more than a pound of beef at the grocery store.
Others say it is because they are chasing a trophy. For true sportsmen, this is as close to the truth as they can get while still missing the mark. The thrill of the chase is undoubtedly intoxicating and is, without a doubt, something that keeps people coming back, but there is more to it. Something even deeper.
Some claim to be keeping the tradition alive. As in the trophy chasers, this is close but no cigar. However these sportsmen are on the right track.
The real reason sportsmen hunt and fish is the memories.
Some people may not realize it at the moment, but the memories are the true rewards sportsmen chase. Long after the meal has been eaten and the adrenaline has worn off, the memories continue.
This is the lifelong reward.
Sure, I remember the 50-pound striped bass I caught trolling the Chesapeake Bay days before Christmas. I remember the giant trout I caught at Antietam Lake outside Reading and the biggest deer I harvested.
The list goes on with the trophies I remember, but they pale in comparison to the memories I have.
Fishing for bluegills or catfish with my dad and brother. Taking my son for ice cream after dunking worms for a few hours or the time spent teaching him to catch blue crabs will live on forever. These memories are far more valuable than any meat or antlers I have taken home.
Once I realized why I was doing it, hunting and fishing took on a new meaning. The day is not defined by whether I successfully harvest what I set out for. Chasing striped bass but catching tons of throwback flounder or sea bass can be a win simply because of who I spent the day doing it with or the breath-taking sunset I witnessed while on the water.
The average buck I harvested can be a trophy because I did it with a friend, and the eight-point will become a once-in-a-lifetime monster after I relive the anticipation and shoot years later.
I think memories are how fish stories started.
That old guy knows the bass he caught as a kid was barely legal, but as time goes by and he relives the experience over and over, the bass grows. Not because he is lying, but because the memories mean so much that the fish gradually grows with the joy he feels remembering that day.
So this year, make it a point to take more home than a few steaks or fillets. Take home the memories you have of being lucky enough to make with friends and family. Take home the joy you felt with the first tug on the line or seeing a fox kit playing in the leaves below your stand.
They will last a lot longer than anything else you can bring home.